Buru
Third-largest Maluku island, known for endemic species and political prison history.
Buru is the third largest island within the Maluku Islands of Indonesia, lying between the Banda Sea and Seram Sea. It belongs to Maluku province and includes the Buru and South Buru regencies, with administrative centers at Namlea and Namrole. The island is notable for its unique biodiversity, including endemic species such as the Buru babirusa, and for its history as a site of Dutch colonization and later as a prison for political prisoners during the New Order administration.
- population_composition
- About one-third indigenous (Buru, Lisela, Ambelau, Kayeli, Masarete, Rana, Wai Apu, Wai Loa); remainder immigrants from Java and nearby Maluku Islands
- religion
- Evenly split between Christianity and Sunni Islam, with remnants of traditional beliefs
- language
- Indonesian used among communities and by administration; local languages and dialects spoken within communities
- known_for
- Endemic species (Buru babirusa, several birds and bats); site of political prison under Suharto's New Order
Lore & Background
The Dutch administration relocated many local villages to the newly built island capital at Kayeli Bay for working at clove plantations, and promoted a hierarchy among indigenous people with selected loyal rajas placed above local clan heads. During former president Suharto's New Order administration in the 1960s–1970s, Buru was the site of a prison used to hold thousands of political prisoners. While held at Buru, writer Pramoedya Ananta Toer wrote most of his novels, including the Buru Quartet. The island's economy is largely agricultural, with most population engaged in growing rice, maize, sweet potato, beans, coconuts, cocoa, coffee, clove and nutmeg, as well as animal farming and fishing. There is little industry.
Reader's Guide
Buru's significance lies in its unique biogeographic position at the boundary between Australian and Asian zones, resulting in high endemism among its flora and fauna. Of 25 mammal species, at least four are endemic, including the Buru babirusa, a wild pig with very low fat content regarded as a local delicacy. The island's history includes Dutch colonial exploitation of clove plantations and a later period as a prison for political prisoners under Suharto, where writer Pramoedya Ananta Toer produced major literary works. The island's mountainous terrain creates several climatic zones, and its forests remain largely covered with tropical rain forest.
Did You Know?
- Buru is the third largest island in the Maluku Islands, after Halmahera and Seram.
- The Buru babirusa has only 1.27% fat content in its meat, compared to 5–15% for domestic pigs.
- Writer Pramoedya Ananta Toer wrote most of his novels, including the Buru Quartet, while held as a political prisoner on Buru.
Frequently Asked Questions
What species are found only on Buru?
The island shelters several animals found nowhere else on Earth, most famously the Buru babirusa, alongside unique bird and bat species. This concentration of endemics makes it a key site for conservation interest.
What was the Buru political prison?
During the Suharto New Order period, the Indonesian state set up a detention camp on the island to hold political prisoners. That chapter remains one of the most significant dark episodes associated with Buru in modern Indonesian history.
Who lives on Buru and what languages are spoken there?
About a third of residents belong to indigenous groups such as the Buru, Lisela, Ambelau, Kayeli, and Masarete peoples, while the remainder are descendants of migrants from Java and neighboring Maluku islands. Indonesian functions as the shared language for government and inter-community dealings, though each local group still uses its own dialects at home.
More in Islands Of The Pacific 1-19
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